Knowledge of God

Is belief in God justified? That’s the fundamental question at the heart of this volume of the Great Debates in Philosophyseries. Alvin Plantinga and Michael Tooley each tackle the matter with distinctive arguments fromopposing perspectives. The book opens with an explanation of the philosophers’ viewpoints, followed by a lively and engaging conversation in which each directly responds to the other’s arguments.

Acknowledgements. 1 Against Naturalism ( Alvin Plantinga ). 2 Does God Exist? ( Michael Tooley ). 3 Reply to Tooley′s Opening Statement ( Alvin Plantinga ). 4 Reply to Plantinga′s Opening Statement ( Michael Tooley ). 5 Can Robots Think? Reply to Tooley′s Second Statement ( Alvin Plantinga ). 6 Closing Statement and Response to Plantinga′s Comments ( Michael Tooley ). Bibliography. Index.

Alvin Plantinga is John A. O′Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is widely known for his work in epistemology and philosophy of religion, and is the author of Warranted Christian Belief (2000). He is also editor (with Matthew Davidson) of Essays in the Metaphysics of Modality (2003). Michael Tooley is Distinguished College Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is well known for his work in metaphysics and applied ethics, and is the author of Time, Tense, and Causation (1997) and editor of Metaphysics (5 volumes, 1999).

"I would recommend the book to professional philosophers of religion and philosophy graduate students for these significant contributions." (Journal of Religion, 1 October 2010) "The book′s style is very different from other philosophy of religion texts, because it presents the issues within the context of a lively debate, capturing the excitement of philosophical argumentation and epitomizing how philosophy should be practiced." ( American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly , Summer 2010)"Alvin Plantinga and Michael Tooley here debate the question whether God′s existence is known—or, at least, justifiably believed. As expected from two such distinguished philosophers, their discussion has the originality and intellectual weight to repay careful consideration, as much by philosophers of mind and epistemologists as by philosophers of religion." ( Mind , October 2009) "The book illuminates some important issues in philosophical theology. Recommended." ( CHOICE , October 2008) "I found this book strangely compelling … .Plantinga uses an ingenious new version of the Design Argument to demonstrate ′the epistemic probability′ that God exists; Tooley argues that ′the fact of evil′ on our world makes the existence of a benevolent God ′very unlikely.′" ( Church Times , January 2009) "The present volume, by two heavyweight analytical philosophers, is rather different from the usual pattern." ( The Tablet ) "A very fine book, presenting arguments for and against theism and naturalism by two very distinguished philosophers. I strongly recommend it for graduate level courses." ( Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews )